SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!
I have been getting water in the bilge lately and in looking for the leak found the stuffing box leaking. It drips about 1 drip every two or three seconds while not running. When under way the drip increases a little. The drip is forward of the hose at a brass coupling right behind the transmission. We will pull the boat today to take home on the trailer and I will start to take apart-hopefully. I will appreciate any suggestions regarding the repair. Boat is a Catalina 25 w/Universal diesel inboard engine.
Should be an adjustable nut on the threaded sleeve? If so, turn it down maybe a quarter or half turn and observe drip rate. Also, have you had the packing gland replaced recently?
H and E: Assuming a traditional stuffing box, some drip is expected. It's not only expected, but it's necessary. Water moving thru the packing material keeps it lubricated and cools it. No drip and you'll end up with the packing material abrading the shaft, which is a Very Bad Thing.
But a drip while she's at rest indicates the packing nut is too loose or your packing has reached the end of its useful service life.
If you do choose to try to tighten the nut a bit, do so only in a tiny little increment--until the drip at rest just stops, then get under way, under motor, to make sure you're still getting a drip every ten seconds or so. Stop the prop and feel the stuffing box to make sure it's not getting hot.
Search the forum. There's been all kinds of discussions about stuffing boxes in here. There's also this: Re-Packing A Traditional Stuffing Box, which should tell you everything you need to know.
..bearing in mind that some older types have a grease nipple on the top of the box itself and require the occasional squirt of grease to stop the drip when not in use.
I have taken the boat out of the water and plan on re-packing the stuffing box, along with some other upgrading. I went on line and find that Defender has several types of packing to choose from. I like the idea of the dry one that is self lubricating. Any recommendations?
When you relaunch be sure to check the gland for correct drip or overheating.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
SailNet Community
1.7M posts
173.8K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Sailing, boating, cruising, racing & chartering. Come join the discussion about sailing, destinations, maintenance, repairs, navigation, electronics, classifieds and more